A Fresh Start
by Brionycrew
Summary: A Nikki/Lorraine story, starting after 8x20 and the almost kiss. It has been a few years since I have written any fanfiction, I hope you like it! All feedback is greatly appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

**Nikki POV**

It took Nikki about five paces from walking out of Michael's office to realise she had made a mistake. How could she think Lorraine was interested in her, let alone would want to go out on a date.

"How could I be so stupid?" She asked herself, as she entered the PRU. "Not only have I just made a complete fool of myself, but I did it in front of my boss. Great idea." As she packed up her things for the Easter break, the events of the week went through her mind; the looks they had shared, the secret smiles, inside jokes... Had she made herself think it was more than just friends having a laugh? Was if all just in her head? One thing was certain, she was grateful she had Easter to get over the embarrassment, and bury any feelings she had for Lorraine.

As her truck pulled up to the house, she heard a friendly bark coming from inside, at least someone was always happy to see her, even if she did have four legs and fishy breath. Opening the door carefully, she greeted the Weimaraner with a big kiss on the nose "you're going to laugh when I tell you what I did today Lexi". She smiled as the dog cocked her ears as if waiting for an explanation, "come on let's go for a run".

Whenever she was stressed or had a lot to think through, Nikki always found herself pounding the same trail, she and Lexi knew the surrounding area like the back of her hand, and they both enjoyed tackling the challenging peaks. As they ran up the side of the hill, Nikki started to unwind, it wasn't the end of the world asking her boss out, she could brush it under the carpet after a couple of weeks.

As they reached the summit, Nikki stopped to take in the view, the sun setting over the lake was a breathtaking image, framing the village below them, making the houses look like dolls toys. This was why she decided to move with Waterloo Road, she needed a fresh start after Rochdale, and where better than the Scottish highlands?

As they made their way back down, Nikki reflected on her life before Waterloo Road, she might not like to admit it, but the army had made her very cautious about opening herself up to others. With its "don't ask, don't tell" policy, she had never held a relationship down for long enough to let anybody in. The only person she truly trusted was the dog running with her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Lorraine POV**

She had only ever dated guys, where she had grown up, being different just wasn't an option – it was a miracle she was so successful, after all it was the norm there to get to 16, have a kid and spend your life on benefits, but she knew she was worth more.

There was always something missing though, she had never found her twin flame – the person she wanted to spend her life with. She put it down to being busy, her whole life was the empire she had built – it had taken long hours, hard work and lots of late nights. A combination which didn't leave much space for a relationship.

It wasn't that she had a problem with gay people, after all Nikki was her best friend, it was just that she didn't think she was one of them. Throughout her whole life she had only ever been with me – not even a drunken kiss on a night with friends, so she had to be straight.

The problem was that if she was straight, why did she feel so bad now? "Snap out of it" she thought to herself, "you only feel bad because she's your friend and you don't want her to be awkward around you".

By the time she had walked down to her car she had already decided what she would d- she would simply leave her alone over Easter, and then when they returned for the summer term she would act as though nothing was different. Of course it might be awkward at first but she was sure they would get over it – after all, Nikki was her best friend, she didn't like to think about her future without her in it.

As she drove home she thought about the last time she had been on a date – it was that long ago she could barely remember it. Maybe she should arrange one, after all she was never short of people asking her out.

Using her hands-free system she flicked through her contacts until she stopped on one in particular, "he's nice and friendly, good job, look good" she said to herself and pressed the call button.

"James, hi it's Lorraine, I was wondering if you were free to meet for a drink on Saturday night? She named a trendy bar in town she knew he would like "9 o'clock? Yep that's great, see you then." That was it, all arranged, she was going on a date. It was the right thing to do, she was sure.


End file.
